Anyone who knows me, knows I love to try new adventures.
On Saturday, I’ll take on my latest and greatest adventure when I set out to complete my first Triathlon. I’ve been training for about four months, particularly on the biking and swimming as they are new to me, and in that time I’ve realized some things.
The first is that Triathlons are somewhat of a subculture in America. Everyone has heard of them, but not many people know much else other than you swim, bike and run. To be honest, I knew nothing about them before I suddenly decided to try one out.
The number one reaction I have gotten from people after telling them what I’m training for is amazement. The feelings after I tell them the distances, however, are mixed. I’m only doing the shortest of the four races you can take on. My distance, called a Sprint Tri, can vary a little based on the race organizer’s preference and mine consists of a 500 meter swim, 10 mile bike, and three mile run. My more fit friends become a little less impressed once they hear that, and others are still amazed.
While training for three different events is no joke, and the race does take more than an hour to complete, it certainly is not an unattainable goal or a major feat. It’s more of a primer, and actually quite a great marketing tool for USA Triathlon. By offering up a distance any beginner can train for, and feel comfortable with, is like handing out free samples at the grocery store. They’re trying to get you hooked on their product so you come back for more.
If the only distances were the top three, Olympic, Half Iron and Iron, I doubt they would generate near the interest. I, for one, would have thought twice about taking on an Olympic-length tri for my first attempt, whereas the Sprint distance was a no brainer. On a side note, anyone who completes an Iron Man Tri is a true champ in my book. Imagine running a full marathon after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112. That makes me hurt just thinking about it!
The sport is also much younger than I thought. The first sanctioned swim/bike/run tri was held a mere 35 years ago in 1974 in California. That’s quite a bit younger than any other sport that comes to my mind. It’s certainly gaining traction quick, though. An internet search is evidence of how popular the sport has become.
While I certainly can’t vouch for other people’s reasons for giving Tri's a shot, I know what inspired me. I’ve become somewhat of an avid runner the past couple of years, and frequently compete in 5k’s, my favorite distance. I plan on doing at least one 10k this summer, but I was often feeling lazy or unimpressive when my friends would talk about completing mini’s or marathons. The problem is that distance of running has no appeal to me. My knees aren’t up for that kind of stress, and I just get bored after about mile five. Tri’s, on the other hand, offer me the opportunity to complete a more challenging race, but spread the time out on different events. I’m exciting about getting out of the water and getting on a bike, and then trying to get my tired legs to pump for the run portion. It’s a whole new challenge, and if I enjoy it I plan on going for an Olympic-distance race in August.
I wont even get into the insane rule book, or incredible amount of money you can spend on Tri gear in this post. I visited a store aptly called T3 (the transitions between events are called T1 and T2) and left having spent $0 and my with my head spinning. For this race I’m forgoing expensive, sport-specific gear until I’m sure I like it. On Saturday I’ll be wearing a knee-length Speedo, not Tri shorts, swim goggles from TJ Maxx, and riding a 1970’s road bike inherited from my dad.
For anyone who loves competition, challenging themselves, cardio workouts and the outdoors, I highly recommend giving Triathlons a look. As my friend who is an avid Triathlete told me, though, be prepared to have a 60-year-old man whiz past you on the bike or a young kid breeze by you on the run. You may feel like you’re in great shape, but there are always people better, sometimes in unexpected forms.
